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Scarlets displace Bath at summit with emphatic win

12 januari 2018 22:55

The Scarlets boosted their chances of reaching the European Champions Cup quarter-finals by displacing Bath at the top of Pool 5 with an emphatic 35-17 triumph at The Rec.

The Pro14 side, without the suspended Steff Evans and injured Leigh Halfpenny, produced some scintillating attacking rugby to dismantle Todd Blackadder's team and move four points clear of them and Toulon, who take on Benetton Treviso on Sunday.

All is not lost for Bath, though, with their final outing coming against the Italian side they defeated 23-0 in their opening encounter. The Scarlets, meanwhile, will battle it out with Toulon in what is sure to be a fascinating climax to the group stage.

The hosts lost fly-half Rhys Priestland to injury after just four minutes and things got worse when Tadhg Beirne stepped past Anthony Watson to put the Welsh province ahead.

John Barclay was shown a yellow card for going in at the side after Matt Banahan was stopped short of the line, but the numerically disadvantaged Scarlets saw Paul Asquith go over in the corner before Hadleigh Parkes raced beneath the posts – both tries finishing sweeping forward moves.

Scott Williams marked his return by dabbing down Rhys Patchell's excellent grubber kick early in the second period, with Banahan's acrobatic finish and Zach Mercer's score proving to be just a consolation for the hosts.